Yes, but they were under control. “Her parents aren’t here.”
“Did you invite them?”
“No.” Will had thought Harriet would inform them, but it seemed he had been mistaken.
“Ah,” Calstone murmured.
“Ah, what?” Leeds asked. “Do you know something?”
“No, no,” Calstone said. “But her outrage must be stronger toward her father than toward you.”
Will winced a little. She didn’t appear to be angry at him at all. Not anymore, at least. However, he also didn’t want her relationship with her father to suffer because of him.
“Should I send word to them?” Calstone asked.
“No. If Harriet is not willing to face her father yet, I won’t interfere.”
“Look,” Calstone said.
Will’s gaze returned to the door. A vision appeared in his line of sight and his breath hitched. Harriet entered, accompanied by her friend, and everything else flew from his mind.
She wore an elegant gown of pale blue silk that draped gracefully over her slender form. Her chestnut curls cascaded down her back, caught in a delicate pearl hair comb that shimmered in the morning light. Her eyes, that captivating shade of blue, held a mixture of confidence and determination.He could also glimpse the vulnerability there, but despite that, they burned as brightly as the sun.
His eyes caught on the soft bow of her lips, the pink in her cheeks, until it reached the silky expanse of her throat.
Christ.
The woman still stole his breath whenever he set eyes on her. Even at her angriest, at her weariest, she always managed to light up a room with her presence.
Will stepped forward, offering his hand. She accepted without hesitation. Their fingers touched, and even gloved, a jolt of electricity shot through Will, reaffirming his conviction.
She is the one.
It hadn’t been easy for him to get to this moment, and despite his excitement, that tinge of apprehension still lingered in his mind. He still had her heart to win, and the battle wasn’t over.
In fact, he suspected her battle had just begun. He could tell from just that one look. His wife might not be spitting flames at him anymore, but the challenge in her gaze was as strong as ever. Did she know she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions? Everything she felt was clear to see on her face.
The corner of his lips lifted. Was it wrong of him to look forward to every challenge she tossed his way, whatever her reasons for doing so? Although he did hope that one day in the future, no matter how long it took, she would look at him with a different expression—one of affection.
“Are my eyes deceiving me?” Calstone murmured low. “Both the bride and the groom are smiling. Why am I getting shivers?”
The ceremony commenced without hindrance, and Will could not escape the awareness of her that crawled over his skin as they stood before the priest and recited their vows. For his part, every word he said was filled with sincerity, each syllable carrying the weight of his commitment to the woman beside him. Clear. Unfaltering.
Harriet, on the other hand, claimed every word with a hint of defiance. Ah, yes, his little spitfire was going to give him one hell of a battle, he was sure.
It the end, only five words spun in his head.
I shall protect you forever.
Calstone clapped him on the shoulders. “Congratulations, old chap.”
Harriet gave a small snort, but she still sent him a wide smile. “Yes, congratulations, husband.”
A shiver shot up his spine.
“Where is your family?” Leonora murmured as her gaze swept the drawing room.
“As my father didn’t see fit to inform me of my betrothal, I didn’t see fit to inform them that I was wedding today,” Harriet admitted.
